Dogs play politicians in live art installation 'Dachshund UN'

A number of dogs have replaced politicians in a mock United Nations conference as part of a live art event.

Over 60 dachshunds were chosen by sculptor and installation artist Bennett Miller for his work Dachshund UN, which was performed for the first time in the UK last weekend at Fierce Festival 2012 in Birmingham.

The festival's programme notes describe Dachshund UN as "a joyful and chaotic experiment, and a meditation on the utopian aspirations of the Commission on Human Rights, and our capacity as humans to imagine and achieve a universal system of justice".

Miller, who hails from Perth in Western Australia, chose the canine participants during his residency in Birmingham, and all were owned by people who had personally engaged with him during his time working in the city.

The artist built a scale replica of a former UN chamber in Switzerland outside the city's Ikon gallery for Dachshund UN's UK premiere, with each dog representing a delegate on the UN's Human Rights Council. The event originally premiered in Australia two years ago.

Miller's previous work includes Golf War, a retelling of the Gulf War set across nine mini-golf courses.

Fierce Festival, which is an annual international festival of live art, concludes on Sunday, April 8.